The East Central University (ECU) Business and Conference Center aimed to create a dynamic space that serves emergency needs, fosters community connections, enhances education, and contributes to the local economy. The 59,111 square-foot facility houses the ECU Police Department, a learning center, and food court on the first floor while the second floor serves as the home of the Harland C. Stonecipher School of Business. The third floor houses offices for the school as well as conference rooms, labs, lounges, a moot courtroom for students, and a balcony, reception area.
The large conference room on the first floor is equipped with an audio-visual digital projection system and can accommodate 950 people for a full theater conference. The large conference room on the first floor of the center can also serve as a 9,631 square-foot resource and command center thanks to the FEMA-rated Safe Room design and construction, which can accommodate 1,700 people in the event of a hurricane-level storm.
The structure of the facility consists primarily of structural steel composite beams and columns, steel braced frames, and cast-in-place concrete stair and elevator shafts. The FEMA Safe Room consists of load-bearing concrete shear walls, concrete pan joists and beams, and concrete columns. The foundation system is drilled concrete pier and grade beam construction.
One of the challenges of this project was locating and coordinating the lateral load elements in the building while serving the multiple building uses. Through open communication with the architect and owner, the challenge was overcome. A unique part of this project was incorporating a full FEMA-rated structural design in a large facility with multiple uses, so this was a consideration throughout design.
